In Love with a Girl
by bsloths
Summary: Noel and Casey have been dating, but neither of them are very happy. Can they find a way to be together, despite a certain stepbrother? Or, are they better off apart? Nasey and Dasey. Mini Chapter fic. Semi-AU. Flangst.
1. Broken Trust

I promised TheBucketWoman another Nasey fic eventually, so here you go, my dear!

I was listening to the Gavin DeGraw song "Just Friends," and this came to me…it's technically a songfic, but the lyrics are things Noel says instead of separate from the story. It's also very soap opera-y, so be prepared!

This is dedicated to EarnedDisillusionment, resident Gavin expert. LLtPM, Jess! You rock!

--Brandi

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek or Gavin's song rights. Sniffle.

**Broken Trust **

"I saw you there last night, Casey!" Noel was livid as he stood in the McDonald-Venturi living room.

"Noel, it wasn't what it looked like—I'm sorry if you got the wrong idea," Casey began, looking panicked.

"I don't want to hear it. I've heard the rumors, and I didn't want to believe them. But you were acting so in love!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Noel. I'm not in love with him." Casey was on the verge of tears now.

Noel pushed his palms into his eyes, frustrated. "I can't do this right now. I have to go."

Casey put a hand on his chest to stop him from taking another step towards the door. She was doing her best not to let the tears fall, but a few leaked from her eyes anyway. He fought the urge to brush them away.

"We're just friends, I promise," she said pleadingly.

Noel didn't want to hear it. "You had your hands all over him and he had his fingers in your hair. I watched you!"

Casey was sobbing now. "No, you have it wrong. _You're_ my boyfriend, _you're _the one I care about. Please."

"You're just saying that because you got caught. You thought I wasn't going to be at that party last night, remember? But I walked in and there you were, standing in the dark."

"We were dancing. It was a party. Everyone was dancing."

"I've never seen anyone dance with their stepbrother like that." Noel's eyes flashed with anger at the word 'stepbrother.' How could she do this to him—her attentive boyfriend of three months, who did nothing but treat her like a princess?! They fit together like a glove; how could she not see how much he loved her?

"Nothing happened! We were just dancing!" She was growing hysterical, and chased after him as he took another step towards the door. Throwing herself on her knees in front of him, she grasped his hands and put them to her face. "I love you, Noel. You. No one else."

"All I ever wanted was you, Casey. All of you. I don't want to share you with _him_."

"You don't have to share me, because there is nothing going on!" She got up and tried to hug him, but he pushed her away. "Noel!" she gasped.

"I have go, Case. I wasn't going to say anything, but this isn't the first time I've had my suspicions about you two. I'm sorry it has to end like this." And with that, he stormed from her house, leaving a despondent Casey to wipe her eyes on her sleeve.

GDGGDGGDG

Later that night, Noel lay in bed tossing and turning. He couldn't believe it was over with Casey. This wasn't supposed to happen. Regardless of her obsession with her stepbrother, she was his. She had never given him any indication that she wasn't completely devoted to him…except in the case of that one guy. Noel couldn't even say his name, he made him _that_ angry.

He sat up and made a decision. If Casey could promise to give up this horrible fixation, he would consider taking her back. Because he didn't want to lose her.

He tiptoed out of his room, crept out the front door, and drove slowly to Casey's house. He realized this was stupid; she was probably asleep. But he knew _he_ wouldn't sleep unless he talked to her face-to-face.

Sneaking around to the backyard, he climbed up the tree by her window and tapped on the glass. He could see Casey jolt awake and peer towards the window. He waved with one hand while holding onto a branch with the other. She came over to open the window, and he climbed inside.

"Oh, Noel, you changed your mind!" she whispered gleefully, reaching for him.

But he wouldn't let her touch him. He knew if they hugged or kissed, he'd be a goner. No, he was a man on a mission.

"You know ultimatums aren't my style, Case," he said, fixing her with a stern look. She winced, but nodded for him to continue. "But I don't have a choice, because I don't want to lose you. How could you do this to me? You know I trusted you…" He was getting off track. She stood there fidgeting, but looked hopeful. "I'll forgive you, and we'll put this behind us, if you say that I'm the _only_ one. No more of…him. I'll give you one more chance."

Casey heaved a sigh of relief. "Of course! You're the only one, Noel. I'm so sorry I made you think otherwise." She moved to hug him and this time he accepted.

"We were just friends," she murmured, and Noel tensed. She looked up at him in earnest.

"Okay, Casey. I believe you," he replied, and relaxed. But Noel had a sneaking suspicion this wouldn't be the last time she'd be begging for his forgiveness. No use harping on that, though. He'd take things one day at a time. Tonight, she was his.

They stood in her bedroom, bathed in moonlight, and content in each other's arms…for now.


	2. Letting Go

I decided to continue this; there are so many great Gavin DeGraw songs left to use! The story should be about five chapters total, each using a different song. Oh, and everyone should check out his new CD, it's awesome!

This chapter is based off of the song "Glass." It's not on either of his albums, but it's really pretty.

Thank you to EarnedDisillusionment for all of your help on this (so of course this is dedicated to you, Jess! LLtPM!) and to the reviewers who said, "Continue"! :)

--Brandi

Disclaimer: I do not own Life with Derek or Gavin's song rights.

**Letting Go**

Noel strutted out of the jewelry store, feeling very pleased with himself. Things had been going pretty well with Casey lately. She hadn't done anything to make him doubt her fidelity, and what's-his-face was too busy with hockey playoffs to be around the house much, so they could enjoy each other's company without a dark cloud hanging over them.

He opened his car door and laid his purchase carefully in the glove compartment. He had a few more stops to make before their date—the florist, the dry cleaners, and the candle shop.

GDGGDGGDG

That night, Casey arrived at his house right on time. He had set up a nice little dinner for two on the patio. Noel wasn't much of a cook, but his older sister had offered to play chef for the evening.

"Noel, it looks beautiful," Casey said as she took in the candlelight and flowers. She gave him a kiss hello, and he pulled out her chair for her as she sat down.

"I wanted tonight to be special. I was going to wait until dessert for this, but I'm too excited. Happy Anniversary!" Noel pulled a box from his pocket and handed it to Casey, then sat down himself.

"Oh, wow," Casey breathed, eyeing the ring inside. "I can't believe this. This isn't…" She clutched the box tightly; Noel could see her fingers turning white.

"God, no, this isn't a proposal!" Noel laughed. "It's just something to show you how much I care about you."

"Oh. Well, thank you. I love it." Casey relaxed, and slipped the ring onto her finger; on her middle finger instead of her ring finger, Noel noticed. But he didn't mention it.

The rest of dinner was pretty quiet—it was like they couldn't think of anything to say to each other anymore.

GDGGDGGDG

Casey asked him to meet her at Smelly Nelly's the next day. "We need to talk," she'd said. She knew she was being chicken—if they met in a public place she would be less likely to get hysterical.

Oh, who was she kidding? It wouldn't matter whether people were around or not; she was about to break two hearts at once. But right now, it wasn't hers she was worried about.

Noel came into the restaurant and took a seat across from his girlfriend. "Hi," he greeted flatly, obviously aware that this was not going to be a good conversation.

"Hi," Casey replied, voice shaking a little. "I guess I should just say what I have to say."

Noel nodded, looking down at the table.

"Noel, I want you to know that I never cheated on you, ever," she began. "Things may have looked bad at times, but I never betrayed you."

Noel's eyes darted back and forth to her own. "I believe you."

"Good. Let me try to explain."

He nodded encouragingly, but his eyes were sad.

"Noel, this never should have started. I just wanted to make you feel good; you had been so persistent in asking me out, and I liked you, so…I wasn't prepared to have things go this far. I wasn't thinking of you, that you could actually...love me. I just wanted _someone_, because I felt like I couldn't have the one person I wanted. I just wanted you near me. You're like…you're like my security blanket. I care about you, Noel, I do. But I led you on, and that wasn't fair to either of us. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't true, either."

Noel sat quietly during her speech, and when she was done, he refused to look at her. He didn't know what to believe anymore.

Casey put her hand over Noel's on the table; she caressed his soft skin gently, as if it was glass…and he was breaking in her hands.

"I thought all those beautiful things you said to me were things you meant," Noel sighed. "About me being the only one for you. You made me fall in love with you, and now you're telling me you never felt the same way? How could you do this to me, Casey? Please," he finally looked at her, tears falling slowly down his cheeks. "Please think about this. How can you say that something's through when it never even started? At least, it didn't for you. Can we start over?"

"Noel," Casey was crying herself, now. "I thought I could fall in love with you, care about you the same way. But I can't force myself to feel something. I'm in love with someone else."

Noel choked out a laugh. "Derek." It was the first time he had been able to say his name out loud for months. He should have known this would happen eventually.

Casey nodded solemnly, withdrawing her hand from his and placing it on her lap. "I'm so sorry Noel. But he feels the same way. We want to be together." She slowly pulled the ring from her finger and placed it in Noel's palm, closing his fingers over it.

Noel stared down at his hand for a moment, and then wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve, trying to regain some composure. "This is really the end, isn't it?" he asked, and Casey smiled through her tears.

"I'm sorry. I wish things were different," she said, but they both knew it didn't change the fact that they were no longer meant to be together. Wishes didn't always come true.

GDGGDGGDG

Casey lay on her bed, photo album open across her stomach. She had been looking through pictures of her and Noel, but couldn't bear to see another shot of the two of them looking so happy. She wasn't sure when she had realized that she was never going to be what Noel needed. He needed someone who would appreciate him, not take him for granted.

She and Derek had been getting closer, and the touches and glances had been getting more and more inappropriate. She had told Noel the truth; she had never cheated, but she and Derek had talked, and she knew that they were on the same page.

A soft knock sounded on the door. "Come in," Casey called.

Lizzie tiptoed into the room and sat gingerly on the edge of Casey's bed. "Mom said you broke up with Noel?" she said, concern evident in her voice.

Casey sat up and scooted over next to her sister. "I did. I should have been more careful with his feelings. Am I a horrible person, Liz?"

Lizzie put an arm around her. "Of course not."

"I realized that even though I'm not in love with him, I do care about him. I don't want him to suffer, not the way I am." She pulled a tissue from her pocket and dabbed at her damp eyes. Lizzie rubbed her back slowly, and Casey smiled sadly at her. "I wish I could have handled this differently. Deep down I know that he's glass, and I broke him, Lizzie. You should have seen his face."

"Everybody breaks, sometimes," Lizzie reminded her. "But you don't notice it, and it really doesn't matter, until it's happening to you."

"Knowing this doesn't change the fact that we're both hurting. I feel so awful."

"I understand, but Casey, you need to stop beating yourself up for what happened."

"Why? Lizzie, it hurts, but it's what I deserve."

Lizzie just gave her a hug. There was nothing else to say.


	3. The Right Choice

This chapter is based on "More Than Anyone." It's mostly Dasey-centric, though Noel will have a bigger role again soon. And it's still kind of soap-opera-y, but the fic just seems to call for it. So what can I do? :)

I just saw tvFANatic26's youtube Dasey vid to Gavin's newest single "In Love with a Girl." (side note: I realize now that that should be the title of this fic, but I'm not going to change it right away. Maybe after it's complete. I don't want to confuse anyone!) Anyway, check that video out, it's fantastic.

Thanks again to EarnedDisillusionment, who is still the resident Gavin expert! LLtPM!

Now, enough of this long-as-usual A/N. Enjoy!

--Brandi

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek or Gavin's song rights.

**The Right Choice **

"I did it." Casey was standing listlessly in Derek's doorway, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

Those three words should have made Derek the happiest man alive, but he was too busy worrying about Casey. He should have realized that even though she had chosen him, it couldn't have been easy to say goodbye to Noel.

"You mean, it's over?" he managed to ask as he stared at her, and she nodded, still looking far too forlorn. "Come here," he commanded, and she crept over to his waiting arms softly. He enveloped her in a hug, and she sighed deeply against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Derek. I love you. I just…"

"Shh, I understand, Casey. It's okay."

They stood in his doorway, hugging tightly, for several minutes.

"So it's really happening, huh?" came a voice. They looked up to see George paused in front of them in the hallway, uncertain look on his face.

Derek smirked. "We warned you guys. You've had plenty of time to adjust."

George shrugged. "Yeah. But it doesn't make it any less weird to see in person." He shuddered. "Just keep the door open, okay?"

Derek rolled his eyes. "Good night, Dad."

"Good night, kids." George headed downstairs.

Casey continued to cling to Derek. "Can we just…stand here a little longer?"

Derek pressed a kiss to her forehead. They could have their first real kiss later. "Sure."

GDGGDGGDG

"You're too good to me," Casey sighed, as they walked hand-in-hand through the mall. She hadn't seen Noel all week at school, and all of their friends' reactions had been positive. She was feeling much better.

"Oh, stop." Derek wiggled his eyebrows. "It's only because _you're_ good to me. And I mean _good_." He made an obscene gesture and she wacked him on the shoulder with her free hand.

"Shut up. Take a compliment."

"You know that's not my style. Especially coming from you. I mean, we're actually being sincere. This is a relatively new thing for us."

"And I love it, don't you?" she beamed at him.

He smiled back, until he saw her expression change to one of panic.

"Oh, God, it's Noel. Oh, no."

Derek made shushing sounds. But it was too late. He had spotted them. Derek watched nervously as Casey and Noel made eye contact. They both smiled sadly, and then turned away. Noel kept walking, and Derek and Casey stayed still. He needed there to be as much distance between them as possible.

Casey teared up as soon as Noel was out of sight.

"Oh, Case," Derek murmured, as he put a hand to her cheek. She looked into his eyes.

"He's still upset, Derek." She sounded so incredibly guilty that it almost made Derek angry.

"Well of course he is. You're not the easiest girl to love from afar. Trust me, I know."

She sniffled. "Derek…I hope I _can_ trust you. I can't go through this heartbreak thing again. I won't survive it."

He looked into her eyes and saw that she was serious, but that she didn't want to feel that way. "You need a friend, Case, and I'll be around. What can I say to convince you?"

Casey wrapped her arms around him. "Tell me you're going to love me."

Derek kissed her softly, and then pulled back to look into her eyes once again. "I'm going to love you more than anyone. I'm going to hold you closer than before." He pulled her more tightly against him, and she smiled. He wiped at her eyes, which hadn't yet spilled their tears. "I'll be free for you anytime," he whispered. "Look in my eyes, Casey. What do you see?"

She smirked, and he recognized instantly that it was his smirk. He had taught her well. "Beautiful brown eyes."

Derek nudged her playfully, and she giggled.

"I'm serious. Not just the color." He pressed his forehead to hers. "I'll never hurt you, Casey. Look inside of me, and tell me all you need. I _will_ try my best to give you everything you ever wanted."

Casey gazed at him with what he thought might be respect. "I believe you."

"Good. Because I'm gonna love you more than anyone." They smiled at each other, and he could tell that she had forgotten about Noel, for the time being.


	4. Friends

This is based off of "Relative" from Gavin's new CD.

I have to plug kthxilyxxx 's youtube video for In Love with a Girl. It's just as good as the last one I mentioned. Go watch it! :)

To EarnedDisillusionment, Resident Gavin Expert. I'll get you a t-shirt one of these days! For now, you can just tell everyone you know that you are the RGE Mesh Embracer Extraordinaire, and watch them get confused! LLtPM!

--Brandi

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek or Gavin's song rights.

**Friendship **

Casey was worried. The unbelievable bliss she had grown accustomed to during the first month of their relationship was waning, and it scared her. They fought more often, and although they always made up, Casey worried. They weren't on the brink of a breakup or anything; it was just getting…complicated.

She tried to tell herself that it had nothing to do with the fact that she and Noel were working together. But she knew that was a lie.

They were putting together a big poetry slam, and somehow their advisor had insisted Noel and Casey co-run it, given that they were the best poets in the school.

The first day was horrible. They could barely look at each other. But by the end of the second day, they had fallen back into an uneasy friendship.

Casey knew that Derek was not all that happy about this, but to his credit, he said nothing about it. She knew he trusted her.

Noel, on the other hand, was ecstatic to have some sort of interaction with Casey again, even though it wasn't quite the interaction he wanted.

GDGGDGGDG

"I think we should have them submit their entries by next Tuesday," Casey suggested, and Noel looked up from where he had been scribbling on a notepad.

"Uh, sure," Noel mumbled, and Casey had a feeling he hadn't even heard her.

Casey tapped him on the arm. "You're off in outer space. Come back down and tell me what you're thinking."

Noel sighed. "Wanna go grab something to eat? I'm hungry."

"We should really finish up here," Casey insisted, though she began stacking her paperwork.

Noel knew he had her. "We're meeting again tomorrow. We have plenty of time."

Casey nodded. "Okay."

They went to a new organic food store that had just opened up nearby. As they settled into a booth in the store's restaurant section, Casey said without thinking, "Derek would never eat in a place like this."

She clapped her hand over her mouth as Noel shifted uncomfortably. That was the first time she had mentioned Derek in his presence since they had started working together.

Noel straightened up in his seat. "It's okay, Casey, he's your boyfriend now. I have to deal with it."

Something suddenly occurred to Casey. "You suggested this place just for that reason, didn't you? You knew Derek would never bring me here."

"No, I…" Noel trailed off. "What can I say?" He smiled apologetically.

"You can say that this is just a nice little innocent meal between friends, right?" Casey asked sternly.

Noel's smile tightened, but he just nodded.

GDGGDGGDG

"Sorry I'm late, Der," Casey said as she entered the house to find Derek sitting in his chair, staring solemnly at the clock.

"Where were you? We're going to miss the movie!" Derek didn't really care about the movie, but he had a feeling he knew where Casey had been, and he wasn't all that happy about it.

"I'm sorry. Noel and I got hungry while we were working, so we got something to eat."

Derek rolled his eyes. "It figures."

"What figures?" Casey put her hands on her hips, sensing an argument coming on.

"Noel will take any chance he gets to be near you. He's not over you." Derek knew he was being petty and stupid, but somehow he couldn't help himself.

"So what if he isn't? He's not going to do anything—he knows we're together."

"Don't be so sure." Though he was pretty sure that Noel wouldn't do anything wrong, he wasn't going to say that.

Casey's eyes flashed. "Even if he does, you trust _me_, right? I'm with you, not Noel."

"Apparently, you _were_ with him all afternoon," Derek snarled, and Casey glared daggers at him.

"That's because he took me to a restaurant you would never think to take me. I have to have friends who share my interests."

"Are you calling me insensitive? Wherever this place is, I'd take you if you asked!" He added as an afterthought, "And we share plenty of interests."

"That's not the point, Derek!"

"Then tell me, what is the point?" He figured he kind of already knew the point, but he wanted to hear her say it.

She knew the point too, but instead of insisting on his continued jealousy of Noel, she said, "You can't handle the fact that Noel was a better boyfriend!"

She regretted it as soon as she said it, and it most certainly wasn't true. She wasn't sure if she'd said it just to make him angry, or if maybe deep down, she really did feel that way sometimes.

Whatever the reason, it had the expected effect—Derek stormed up the stairs and closed his bedroom door with a bang.

Casey lowered herself gently into his chair and put her head in her hands. Derek was usually the impulsive one, and she was the rational one. When had they switched roles?

GDGGDGGDG

The next day, Casey met up with Noel after school in the art room, where they were working on posters for the poetry slam.

Noel kept trying to make conversation, but Casey was answering with "mm-hm" to everything he said.

He placed his hand over hers, which was lying on the desk, and she jumped. "What? Oh, sorry, Noel. I just…" she didn't want to finish the sentence, because she would have to talk about Derek. And that wasn't fair to Noel.

"Did you two have a fight or something?" Noel asked tentatively, and they both went wide-eyed at his brave question.

"We-ell," Casey wasn't sure how to explain this. How could she tell Noel that _he_ was the problem? But she needed a friend right now. And any friend is best when you're freezing in the rain.

Before Casey could say anything else, Noel spoke up. "I know it isn't the real thing. It isn't really anything, but at least it makes a spark."

"What are you talking about?" Casey looked over at Noel, whose head was bowed, hands in his lap.

"Our friendship. I was so desperate to have a piece of you back with me, I didn't think about how hard it would be to only see you as a friend. I guess any light at all seems bright, when you're looking in the dark."

"Oh, Noel." She took his hand and smiled gently. He met her gaze and held it, and they didn't speak again for a moment. "We can try to just forget about our history and…" She didn't know how to finish that.

Noel shook his head. "No, we can't. I need you to do something for me."

"Anything."

"Be happy with Derek. You need each other. I can't move on until I know you're happy."

Casey was taken aback. She hadn't expected that. "Everything is relative, Noel. Happiness is all relative."

"Are you saying you'd come back to me, if you weren't happy with Derek?" He allowed a glimmer of hope to surface, but quickly suppressed the thought. He already knew her answer.

"No," she said quietly. "You're right, I'm sorry. I guess I just started to miss us. I don't…I don't think this is working. We can't be friends right now."

Noel nodded, devastated that she'd verbalized his exact thoughts. "I know. Maybe someday. But right now, it's all about how much we believe it—and we can both try to pretend that the feelings are gone, but they're not."

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, and her voice wavered, but she didn't cry. "Do you want to find a new partner to run the slam?"

"Yes. Unless you want _me_ to step down…"

"No, no. Poetry is your thing. I'll find you a new partner first thing tomorrow. But right now—"

"—You have to go see Derek," Noel finished for her. "Go."

She nodded, and gathered her things. "Goodbye, Noel," she said, kissing his forehead.

"Goodbye, Casey." Noel knew it wasn't really goodbye; they couldn't exactly avoid each other completely. But their friendship was over. He knew that was a fact. It wasn't good for either of them to try to live in the past.


	5. Moving On

Well here we are…the last chapter. Sorry it took so long to post. I'm working on another chapter fic that should be up in the near future (I want to have that quite a few chapters ahead before I post, so I can update frequently).

This is based off of "Meaning" from the first CD.

A big thank you to Shellie, for your help in tossing around ideas for this chapter, and of course thanks to Jess, RGEMEE. LLtPM!

Thanks for reading!

--Brandi

Disclaimer: I don't own LwD or Gavin's songs.

**Moving On **

Derek and Casey sat quietly together on Derek's bed, backs to the wall, heads facing forward. They had had a long talk, and now they just wanted to relax. Casey had assured Derek that he really was the only one she wanted, and he had admitted that the whole having a serious girlfriend thing was still new, so he didn't always act appropriately.

Casey laid her head gently on Derek's shoulder, and he took her hand. She thought about the poetry slam. She knew she could get Donna from the debate team to work with Noel, but she still felt a little guilty about their, well, friendship breakup.

"I know you're thinking about how guilty you feel, but stop it," Derek said, as if reading her mind. "You both agreed it's for the best."

Casey nodded against him, and he sighed. "How about we go to the poetry thing together? That way you won't miss it."

Casey sat up, eyes shining. "Really, Derek? You'd take me?"

He smiled. "Of course. A little rhyming never hurt anyone. I'll suffer through it."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Thank you. I love you."

"Love you too," he replied, shoving her off of him a little so he could see her face. "Let's do something."

"Like?"

"Go out to eat. You can even pick the place."

"You're subjecting yourself to the possibility of tofu? We should fight more often." She grinned to show she was kidding, but Derek gazed back in all seriousness.

"Not funny," he said, staring at her intently. "This is going to sound weird, Case, but it's true. There's a meaning to the world because you love me. Love is the reason that this year's been good to me. Without you, I'm lost."

Casey pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I can't believe I ever thought about letting you go," she said softly, and they hugged for a moment, breathing each other in. Casey squeezed her eyes shut. She never would have seen Derek's romantic side, had she never given him a chance. In that moment, she knew she had made the right decision in letting Noel go. It's good to learn from your mistakes. She was where she belonged.

GDGGDGGDG

The night before the poetry slam, Noel tossed and turned. In the darkness of the window, he could hardly get to sleep. He wished for the hour that the nighttime would pass, and the morning that the dew would bring him to a day his soul could last.

Somehow, he had been able to pull together the poetry slam. Donna was a great worker. Not much of a poet, but she was certainly enthusiastic. But he had been miserable ever since Casey had gone back to Derek. He needed something to keep his mind occupied, and unfortunately, the slam just wasn't doing it.

GDGGDGGDG

The slam was going really, really well. Casey was impressed, and when she looked at Derek, she could tell he was too. Noel was a great emcee, and he was definitely in his element up on that stage. He recited two of his original poems, and Casey had tears in her eyes, they were so good. But Derek knew not to worry. Casey was just moved by the words, not the person saying them. And as she shared a glance with Derek, they both smiled, thinking how lucky they were to have each other.

It was practically making Noel sick, how lovey-dovey Casey and Derek were being. He was trying his hardest not to be bitter, he really was. But it was extremely difficult for him to look out over the crowd and see so many friendly faces…and two that broke his heart.

When the winners had been awarded their ribbons, Noel stepped down off the stage and somehow came face to face with Casey.

"Congratulations," she said, holding out her hand. "You did a great job, and this was a lot of fun."

Noel took her hand and squeezed it. "Thanks. That means a lot." He smiled slightly, afraid that if he showed too much emotion, he'd lose it. Casey smiled back, and disappeared into the crowd with Derek. Noel turned away, and almost bumped into a tall man in a business suit. He looked like he meant, well, business.

"I'm sorry, sir," Noel gulped, and the man clapped him on the shoulder.

"That's quite all right. You're just the person I wanted to see, actually."

"Me?" Noel searched his face. He didn't recognize this man.

"Yes. You have a remarkable talent, young man."

"I do?" Noel was dumbfounded. No one ever said things like that to him.

"I think you'd fit in very well at our program." He pulled out a business card. "I'm Professor Charles from the University of Toronto's literature department. I'm running a summer writing workshop for credit."

Noel was so taken aback, he stared at Dr. Charles for a full thirty seconds before he reached out and took the card, turning it around and around in his hands. "A writing workshop? All summer?" Suddenly he was feeling very lightheaded.

"Yes, that's right. We'd even be prepared to offer you a full scholarship."

"Wow, thank you so much!" He finally found his voice, and shook Dr. Charles' hand.

The professor nodded. "You're very welcome. You call me tomorrow and we'll work out the details." With that, he too disappeared into the crowd.

Donna, who saw the whole exchange, ran up to Noel. "Noel, that's amazing!" She clapped and bounced up and down. "Congratulations!"

Noel just stood there shaking his head. "A whole summer writing poetry in Toronto. I just can't believe this."

Donna smiled widely. "Now you have something amazing to look forward to…maybe it'll even take your mind off of a certain someone…" She was afraid to say too much, but Noel just smiled back.

"I guess sometimes the only way is jumping," he said, more to himself than to Donna. He could tell already that this was the chance of a lifetime, and that it would be good for him.

"Hope you're not afraid of heights," Donna replied, giving him a hug.


End file.
